People often joke that the NFL stands for "Not For Long," but this league can also be the land of opportunity for so many young players. And the Las Vegas Raiders have a long shot on the roster who is making the most of that chance in wide receiver Deven Thompkins.
Thompkins arrived in Las Vegas without much fanfare, as he was a last-minute addition to the 91-man roster the day before veterans reported for training camp. After going undrafted back in 2022, he hasn't exactly made a lot of splashes at the professional level just yet.
But this still-young player has started to turn that eleventh-hour opening into something real as the summer drags on at Raiders HQ. Thompkins is making plays and strong impressions during practices, and it doesn't hurt that he has a prior relationship with some key folks in the building.
Deven Thompkins is impressing after being late addition to Raiders' roster
With the Silver and Black's wide receiver room generally struggling in the early going, outside of a few solid days and some promise being displayed by rookie Malik Benson and free agent signing Jalen Nailor, the depth chart is fairly open at Thompkins' position.
And with special teams being such an emphasis in Las Vegas this offseason, that only plays further into the Utah State's product's hands. His 8.8 yards per punt return on 42 attempts and 22.3 yards per kick return on 45 tries both stick out as distinct notches in Thompkins' column.
He hasn't let any opportunities go to waste at Raiders camp, either. Just as things got underway and before the pads came on, one reporter noted that the 5-foot-8 Thompkins hauled in a 25-yard reception on a crossing route from Fernando Mendoza. That's a nice notch in his belt.
Before anointing him, though, we wanted to hear how he performed when the pads came on. And on the first day of padded practice, Thompkins beat stud rookie Treydan Stukes in a 1-on-1 rep. Days later, he caught a touchdown from Mendoza in the red zone team period.
This earned him a nice shoutout from Raiders.com's Levi Edwards.
"Throughout camp, especially over the last two days, Deven Thompkins has been playing well beyond his size.
"The 5-foot-8, 155-pounder has been making noise with strong catches over the middle while also creating consistent separation with his speed."
Well, that certainly isn't a bad thing. And Edwards isn't the only one who has noticed, as Silver and Black Sports Network's Jesse Merrick also made mention of how much Thompkins has been impressing him at Raiders camp. Then Thompkins caught another touchdown on Saturday from AOC.
Simply put, that is a lot of strong reports coming out about a player who wasn't even on the roster until the day before training camp practice started. For a guy who was behind the 8-Ball from the jump, Thompkins has done himself proud.
It doesn't hurt, either, that John Spytek was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' VP of Player Personnel when Thompkins was nabbed by the Bucs as a UDFA in 2022, and the assistant general manager when he made the team again in 2023. Oh, and he played with Tom Brady in 2022, catching five passes.
Thompkins also played with Kirk Cousins on the Atlanta Falcons last year. So, the four-year pro out of Utah State has no shortage of relationships with crucial decision-makers. After sneaking onto the roster, Thompkins has given the coaching staff a lot to think about.
This last-minute opportunity could turn into something real, even if it's just a practice squad spot to hold onto.
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